Should I treat my hen for c. perfringens/necrotic enteritis?

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

I've used this soup as suggested by @LaFleche and it was a miracle!

I will head to the store this afternoon and try it out. The poor thing's so ballooned up with liquid (in the crop). She doesn't seem to be retaining fluid anywhere else/abdomen feels fine. I hope to bring her relief soon.

Tomorrow's get appointment can't come soon enough!

 

[azygous]

Sour crop almost never has an odor until it's fermented for a good while. Your description certainly points to a crop yeast infection. Miconazole is the easiest to obtain and easy to administer. Often a chicken will eat it right off my finger. It's easy enough to just pry open the beak and wipe it off my finger into the inside of the beak.

A vet will be able to safely siphon the sour liquid out of her crop and give her relief, and they can supply the meds to cure the yeast infection. But 99% of people with chickens can successfully treat this without a vet.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Sour crop almost never has an odor until it's fermented for a good while. Your description certainly points to a crop yeast infection. Miconazole is the easiest to obtain and easy to administer. Often a chicken will eat it right off my finger. It's easy enough to just pry open the beak and wipe it off my finger into the inside of the beak.

A vet will be able to safely siphon the sour liquid out of her crop and give her relief, and they can supply the meds to cure the yeast infection. But 99% of people with chickens can successfully treat this without a vet.

I'll keep with it. She had her second dose this morning. Hoping to see improvement soon.

I'll still take her to the vet just in case, since I'll be gone for 4 days and want to make sure I do everything possible to posture her for healing. I hate leaving her mid-crises.

Also, despite her watery poop with little fecal matter she is still dropping beautiful, big cecal poops. I'll take that as an encouraging sign that she's not entirely blocked.

Thank you @azygous, and everyone, for bearing with me--I can't tell you how grateful I am for the detailed, patient help!

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Hi @azygous and @aart, I've posted an update/new issue regarding my BO here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/integrating-indoor-chicken-outdoors-in-the-cold.1427174/

I'm happy to report she seems to have fully recovered, after spending a long weekend boarding at the vet's while I was away. According to the vet, they didn't really do anything extra (no meds/procedures/etc.) but she seemed to just bounce back and start eating and pooping on her own. Her underlying issue was unclear. Since I picked her up Monday, she's been eating well and her crop is functioning properly. I know want to get her out because she's going stir crazy! Hoping you can help with my other post! All the best!

 

[aart]

According to the vet, they didn't really do anything extra (no meds/procedures/etc.) but she seemed to just bounce back and start eating and pooping on her own.

They just fed her a good chicken ration and plain water?

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

They just fed her a good chicken ration and plain water?

Yes. They did an exam and x-rayed her and did not see any signs of reproductive issues. They also did a fecal which came back clean. He did tube feed her feed pureed with water the day I brought her in, but after that, she supposedly went for the watery mash herself enough to gain weight and fully recover. He said her crop started working properly within the first day or two as well.

Unfortunately what caused her issue remains unclear. He thinks something "gummed up her system" but did not see evidence of a blockage or any full-scale sour crop, just a weirdly emptying crop (I do think the advice you gave me previously helped me to break up an initial impaction, and perhaps it just took her a bit to bounce back). He mentioned the possibility of Marek's as an underlying condition, but I'm hoping that's not the case. She also was at the end of a hard molt, which could've stressed out her system.

As of now, she's foraging with the others, eating, drinking, and her poops look lovely (not to brag!). I don't want to rush her into chicken run life again, but to be honest, the quality of life out there is much better than in her hospital pen in the basement.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

They just fed her a good chicken ration and plain water?

Lol sometimes I need to remember not to panic and just keep it simple! I'm learning...

 

[aart]

Lol sometimes I need to remember not to panic and just keep it simple! I'm learning...

Exactly!

 

[sarahlynne1977]

My 1.5 y/o BO is just coming out of a major molt and a de-worming. For a while I had noticed her poops were watery and oftentimes contained undigested grass, or in one case a whole sunflower seed. Since the de-worming (gave second round of Valbazen 3 days ago) she her issues persist. Here's some background:

• Explosive, smelly, diarrhea, especially in the morning. In fact, she seems to hold in most or all of her poop all night and then unleashes a huge amount of farty-sounding, watery poop with undigested grass in it.
• The diarrhea occurs sporadically throughout the day. It's dark brownish-green.
• This hen has had a tendency towards waterier poop all her life, but the undigested food is new (and this is worse than usual)
• This hen once had suspected c. perfringens about a year ago, was treated w/ amoxicillin, and pulled through fine--at the time, though, her poop was bright green and chunky in a different way.
• This hen was also treated a month back for coccidiosis--I don't think she had it, but I treated her just in case because I saw a small spot of blood in her poop once (poop was solid at the time). I haven't seen blood since.
• She's definitely not as into feed as the others and seems to drink a TON, but she is eating and will beat everyone to a treat. Loves mash.
• Crop isn't huge at night but full enough and it empties 100% overnight
• She's a big girl--very heavy--and does not seem to be wasting at all
• She is still active, vocal, and ready forage when the opportunity arises (I supervise free range)
• Comb/wattles have been on the paler side, but she molted quite heavily and hasn't been laying
• Diet is mostly feed, with a small amount of oats or mealworms as a lure back in their runs when free ranging.

Please let me know what you think I should do. Unfortunately I'm going out of town in a week (for about 5 days), and was hoping I'd have the girls at a good place by then. It's been a summer/fall full of mites, then worms, then molting, EYP, and forced separations. I had finally gotten the whole flock all reunited when this starts happening. Already I have a feeling it will be a complicated scenario for my chicken sitters. SOOOO anxious to leave! Chicken anxiety + pandemic anxiety has me on edge.

Many thanks, in advance, for your help!

i know this is an old post but very helpful! i had this in my flock and took 6 months to disgnose and its niw exactky a year later and ive lost one bird and about to lose another

@azygous been keeping an eye on her. Still has the morning squirts, but eating, drinking, and running around foraging when given the chance.

A little bit ago I saw something concerning that I hope you (or other BYC'ers) might be able to shed light on: after coming in from free ranging she had a nice long drink of water. She then proceeded to head to the feeder to eat, knocked a bunch on the ground (which is how she likes to eat) and upon bending over to peck them up regurgitated some clear, water-like substance. I haven't seen her do it since--but would this be further cause for concern?

Upon feeling her crop: semi-full (but nowhere close to engorged), firm but not hard, softens after water. I'll check her first thing in the morning to see that it empties.

i kno this post is old but i have e coli in my flock that has moved to NE with these exact exact symptoms ive lost one bird last year and am about to lose another and i dont go anywhere anymore but i had sensitivity testing and gram stain (you can do it yourself or vet $) and the only drugs working are TMS, amoxicillin, meloxicam and baytril in case anyone else reads this post or needs help

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

i know this is an old post but very helpful! i had this in my flock and took 6 months to disgnose and its niw exactky a year later and ive lost one bird and about to lose another

i kno this post is old but i have e coli in my flock that has moved to NE with these exact exact symptoms ive lost one bird last year and am about to lose another and i dont go anywhere anymore but i had sensitivity testing and gram stain (you can do it yourself or vet $) and the only drugs working are TMS, amoxicillin, meloxicam and baytril in case anyone else reads this post or needs help

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I'm so sorry about the losses and I hope your other hens pull through. Baytil and amoxicillin have been a godsend for this (and baytril for reproductive infection, too).

Lactose-free kefir I've also found to be super effective in providing an immune and probiotic boost, along with oregano oil in water. I usually always provide these things in addition to antibiotics.